V723 Cas (Nova Cassiopeiae 1995)

V723 Cas was discovered by M. Yamamoto, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan, on 1995 August 24.57 UT at photographic magnitude 9.2. The finding was made using a 200-mm f/4.0 lens, PO0 filter, and T-Max 400 film. A report by G.V. Williams of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics shows percursory evidence of this nova located on the Palomar red plate of magnitude 18-19, as seen using the Digital Sky Survey (AAVSO Alert Notices 213, 214, 217, 218, 230; IAUC 6213[1]).

Visual light curve of V723 Cas from the AAVSO International Database; July 1, 1995, to December 21, 2000.

The optical behavior of V723 Cas reveals a rather erratic light curve, resembling the behavior of another odd nova, HR Del (Nova Del 1967). Early observations of V723 Cas show the brightness of the nova at a mean magnitude of 8.9. By early December of 1995, the nova brightened, reaching a mean magnitude of 7.2. By the end of the month, the nova dropped to 9th magnitude and subsequently went through periods of slow fading alternating with periods of activity wherein the amplitude fluctuated by a magnitude at most. Since late 1997, V723 Cas has been fading gradually. At present there are over 15,000 obervations of this nova in the AAVSO International Database since its discovery in 1995!